"We are the voices for the ones that struggle."
-anonymous, 20
Thank you to the many amazing people that shared their story and are inspiring others!
*All of the True Stories submitted specifically for this page and are from real people who have struggled with OCD or other mental health conditions.
*All of the True Stories submitted specifically for this page and are from real people who have struggled with OCD or other mental health conditions.
I have ocd.I remember sitting in math, trying to hold-back tears. I couldn't watch TV, sleep, or work without thinking about a specific thought. They would play over and over and over in my head like a broken record. It has been approximately 2 years since I started taking medication for OCD. Ever since I was little, I had been going to therapy on-and-off for various reasons. To be honest, it is hard for me to write this and re-live the part of my life I spent sitting in a chair in my room crying and worrying, and wondering whether I was ok. I knew everything I was worried about was irrational, but I just couldn't help but worry anyway. "What ifs" were constantly flowing through my head.
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It was awful. The worse aspect of having OCD is one part of you knowing that you are ok, and the other part of you feeling like you are lying to yourself.
"I still fear that I will return to the horrible place in my head." I am forever grateful, and I could not have moved forward in my life without the help of my family, therapists, and psychiatrist. -ANONYMOUS, 16 |
I HAVE Depression.
I have depression. I remember it all. The ambulance coming to my house bringing me to the hospital. I remember it all. 24/7 supervision, feeling like their was no hope. Seeing doctors, therapists, hospitals. Saying “I’m fine” but I’m not. “I need help” I said to my online friend as I screamed. I wanted the pain to end.
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"I was scared to live but scared to die."
Being bullied day after day, I just couldn’t do it. I was pushed over the edge. But now I’m recovering and living my best life. I am an inspiration to these and slowly finding my worth. Hope is real, recovery is possible. Be kind because you never know what someone is going through. -ANONYMOUS |
I have ocd.I was diagnosed with OCD when I was seven years old. I was too young to truly understand what that meant; all I knew was that my homework had to be written perfectly. When I didn’t write a letter in a word “perfectly,” I’d erase until it was gone. The thing is—even if you erase something, you can still see it faintly on the paper. My brain wouldn’t leave me alone until it was completely gone, so I’d erase and erase and erase until I’d rip a hole straight through the paper. At that point, I would completely freak out and I’d need to start the entire assignment over again on another sheet of paper.
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"It was agonizing and absolutely exhausting." For years, I went to therapy to help me live with that voice in my head; my therapist even had me name it so I’d be able to conceptualize it better: Alyssa. Now I’m 17; after a lot of therapy, exercise, and time, I’ve gotten a lot better and I’m pretty good at ignoring that voice in my brain, instead doing things because I want to do them. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my therapist and family, though. They were my #1 supporters. -ANONYMOUS, 17 |
I Have ADD.
I have ADD. I was diagnosed in second grade. In first grade I had a chart. Every time I had a good day where I focused and finished my work, I got a stamp. Once I filled out the chart, I would get a prize. In second grade, when I got diagnosed, I was prescribed a medicine. The medicine has really helped. I haven’t really noticed any really bad focusing since. I have a psychologist who has really helped.
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I have only met him twice but both times were definitely worth it. During quarantine, I haven’t been taking my medicine. I have noticed a big difference, but I am working through it.
"I have tried my very best and I know I will get through it." -ANONYMOUS, 12 |
I HAVE OCD.
I have struggled with OCD my entire life. However, there are so many false stereotypes that I misunderstood the disorder and did not believe I had it. It wasn’t until I was 16 that I realized I had OCD. When I found out, a weight was lifted from my shoulders. I finally understood that nothing was wrong with me, and that I wasn’t “crazy”—I just had OCD. After that experience, I was frustrated with the lack of accurate representations of OCD in the media. It made explaining my OCD to my loved ones extremely difficult. My obsessions and compulsions don’t make sense to others since they are irrational (which is the nature of the disorder), and I am typically met with some variation of, “That’s...weird.”
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Often, I just don’t bring it up because I don’t want the invasive questions or judgement that follow. Aside from others’ perceptions, my OCD causes numerous issues in my life. Sometimes I feel as if I’m in a constant struggle with it with no real end in sight. At times it is not very bothersome (like now), but other times it is incredibly disruptive in my life. However, a mixture of therapy and reading John Green’s Turtles All The Way Down have shown me that,
"...although I will continue to struggle with my OCD, I can still live a fulfilling life." I won’t ever truly overcome this disorder, but I don’t have to to be happy or successful. My OCD may win sometimes, but I’ll be the winner in the end. -ANONYMOUS |
I have Panic Attacks.My heart thumped intensely. I curled in a ball in my chair. My eyes were leaking salty tears. I was shaking, trying to remember the information that I had learned for the test. I was well prepared, but the information would not come to me.
"With every passing second, my hands became more clammy, and my face was flushed and hot." I started uttering phrases of self doubt. My breath shortened. |
All of my classmates were looking at me, thinking I was pretending to be freaked out. In truth, I was having a panic attack. I left the classroom in tears.
I can never predict when I'll get a panic attack, but I recognize situations that may increase my anxiety. When I do have a panic attack, I focus on square breathing, and I remember that everything will be ok. My psychiatrist has prescribed medicine, which has helped a lot. She also taught me yoga and to recognize my rising stress levels before I break into panic. -ANONYMOUS,15 |
I have oCd.
I never really knew what was wrong with me. I thought it was normal, it happened to everyone. But it wasn't. I found out at 10 years old that I had OCD. The thoughts in my head telling me that everything needed to be perfect. That if I didn't do a certain thing, my loved ones would die.
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"I was terrified."
I always listened to those thoughts in my mind, they always took over and it was so overwhelming. I never told anyone, because they wouldn't get it. They haven't experienced it. And I wish I didn't either. Even though I will live with this for the rest of my life, I will get through it. I can make it easier, and there ARE people out there that would get it. You're not alone. -ANONYMOUS |
i have adhd.After class, my chair would be filled with sweat from me struggling to stay still. It was physically and mentally exhausting. I did not understand what was wrong with me and why I could not sit still to save my life. At first the idea of taking a pill every single day of my life to just be considered “normal” was hard for me to accept. I was scared to start taking medicine because I was afraid that my fun-loving, outgoing personality would change, and I would become like a robot. That's just a myth. I can honestly say that I am just a better version of myself on medicine. I was diagnosed with ADHD my freshman year of high school. I’ve always been hyper throughout my childhood but I just thought that was my personality and who it was until I got to high school. I remember it would take all my energy just to sit in my chair and try to pay attention that I would learn nothing.
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I was so focused on trying to stay still that I could not focus on the things that mattered. I would go to the bathroom to fix my hair because I failed to pay attention. ADHD is something I have but it’s not who I am. A lot of people don’t understand ADHD, and they just think we are hyper or we can’t control ourselves. That’s not true. It really is something you can’t control and it is a chemical imbalance. I remember the first day I started medicine I learned more in that single day of school that I had in my whole life. People should not be ashamed of having ADHD. They should embrace it. It’s ok to be different because everyone is unique and beautiful in their own way. I would like to thank my parents and therapist for encouraging me and giving me hope.
"Remember, 'it’s a mindset' and everything will fall in place." -ANONYMOUS, 20 |